An update to the story of Cecil Chao Sze-tsung and his (one might say) Quixotic quest to marry off his daughter, Gigi, who’s into women — one in particular, Sean Eav, with whom she’s in a civil partnership.

According to Financial Times, Chao is now giving his daughter the freedom to choose who she wants to be with, as long as that person is 1) not Sean, and 2) a man. Rich people problems is what we have here. And what are the spoils to Gigi’s future hubby?

That’s right, a ridiculous mansion with a koi carp pond. Writes FT’s David Pilling:

The house, at around 16,000 square ft, was designed to let in lots of natural light and to incorporate the sea view. “We tried to keep both sides light, mingling in the green environment,” he says. “So you have an interior garden mixed with an exterior garden and a waterfall outside.” He notices the waterfall is not operating and picks up a white telephone from the glass coffee table. “Julia, can you turn on the waterfall,” he says, his instructions transmitted through loudspeakers as though he were a Bond villain. “Our guest would like to see the sharks,” I imagine him saying. “Julia, can you please release them.”

A few more pictures are on FT’s website.

Meanwhile, we literally just got this email one hour ago:

Add it to the pile. Love is a losing game.

The $65m dowry for any man who can woo Cecil Chao’s lesbian daughter (Financial Times)

Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures has tabbed Sacha Baron Cohen to make a major motion picture tentatively titled The Lesbian, a story based off billionaire tycoon Cecil Chao and his $65 million bounty to find a husband for his lesbian daughter, Gigi.

The Borat and The Dictator star will certainly have no shortage of content to work with, including all these applications that have come in from star-crossed lovers around the world to be Gigi’s hubby. E.G., “I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO THE FATHER AND DAUGHTER, THEN DECIDE. DAUGHTERS HAPPINESS COMES FIRST. I AM A BACHELOR. TO GIVE UP MY FREEDOM FOR THIS,” writes Tajinder Thukral.

Gawker notes, “Because this is a Sacha Baron Cohen movie, it will likely be envelope-pushing, which means Baron Cohen’s critics will condemn it as racist and homophobic.” As long as Cantonese gets the proper skewering it deserves as a language fit for pots and pans, I’ll be okay with whatever he comes up with.

(I kid.)

(Eh, no, I don’t.)

Gigi Chao says she’s “really quite touched” by her dad’s HK$500 million bounty for her hand in marriage, and with applicants like this, we can see why!

hi Gigi Chao I desire to marry you if I married you I was in vendiin your will find happiness by ndimuar people in the world on this team with you, and there you can find your happiness friend Sazan Gusha from albania.

That’s from Ticher Fotografi on this Knows Hong Kong story, which we linked to in our original post about Chao. There are more.

From Knows Hong Kong:

There’s a bit of confusion as to exactly how many applications have been received though. Gigi’s dad, tycoon Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, told South China Morning Post “about 100,” while Daily Telegraph says “thousands of men.” Gigi herself, in the above SCMP story, claims, “In addition to more than 1,500 Facebook friend requests, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ followers, I am also getting so many e-mail marriage proposals it’s seriously distracting.”

Reuters reports these two:

One suitor from the United States wrote: “I’m interested in your offer to wed your daughter, who also happens to be gay. I am a male person, who also happens to be gay.”

Another put up his brother, a body double to George Clooney in the 2008 sports flick “Leatherheads” as a potential mate: “He could be the picture perfect date that your father craves.”

And desperate bachelors have resorted to emailing newspapers directly, hoping they’ll be messengers. These two went to SCMP:

The Post has also fielded e-mail requests. A Frenchman, 38, wrote: “I’m really serious and [despite the fact] I am a man I think I can make this woman happy, I’m as soft as a woman.”

Another internet user, going by the name Robin Hood 702, wrote: “I will win his daughter’s heart and marry her, and my Maid Marian, a gorgeous Brazilian model, will help accomplish that with me.”

We’ve even fielded proposals in our comments section. (Disclaimer: probably farcical.) This guy links to AOL.com in his comment, and later calls it a “great web site for all” (or does he mean BJC!!!):

burl phillips says: September 27, 2012 at 3:16 am

my son would marry her if she move to usa and start up a business my wife is bed ridding and we could use sum of your money to buy a house and take care of my wife . if you want to help me and my wife . we dont need a loy of money about 200 000 us money hope you have the heart to help us god bless you and your family. my son is 39 never be marry

But the hands-down winner? The guy who sent this to Gawker:

Dear Mr. Zimmerman,

I read you article regarding the daughter who is lesbian and i decided i want to go to hk to check her out.

My name is Gui [Redacted] and I am from Brazil. I am currently traveling around the world while learning about Algae and climbing mountains.

I think this girl is gorgeous and as I love women I am willing to fly to hk to meet with her.

Can you please let me know how to arrange a meeting with them?

thanks in advance,

Gui

What a lucky gal, that Gigi. Who knew all that was necessary to attract the doting attention of so many men was a father’s love? A very, very, very rich father.

Want to submit a marriage proposal of your own? We’re listening.

UPDATE, 9/29, 5:15 pm: Hey look, someone’s already made a “fan site”:

@beijingcream FYI: gigichao.com

— Adam Taylor (@mradamtaylor) September 28, 2012

Hong Kong property developer Cecil Chao Sze-tsung, looking very much like a tycoon in the above picture, has offered HK$500 million for the man who marries his daughter, Gigi Chao. Emphasis: man.

For you see, there is one slight problem, as reported by South China Morning Post:

Rejecting suggestions Gigi, 33, is a lesbian and describing news of her union as “false reports by newspapers”, the 76-year-old owner of Cheuk Nang (Holdings) said the offer was “an inducement to attract someone who has the talent but not the capital to start his own business”.

Gigi was quoted last week as saying that she married Sean Eav, her female partner of seven years, in France on April 4. Same-sex marriage is not legally recognised in Hong Kong, although France has civil unions.

Gee, who wouldn’t want this guy as a father-in-law. Sounds like a totally reasonable dude.

(Chao is also somewhat of a poster boy for safe sex. According to SCMP, he claims to have had 10,000 girlfriends — but only three children!)

Gigi is the eldest of her father’s three children. We get a slight glimpse of who she is through a guest-column she penned in 2007 for Knows Hong Kong, in which she writes:

As a daughter of a successful actress and a well-known businessman, I was confused about what to do with my life. In fact, many of my friends with parents who have achieved a lot face the same dilemma.

Some choose to embrace it, get spoiled and be the prima donna. Some rebel against it and just run away. These are the two most common reactions for children like us.

Disobedience is the way to progress. Call me a rebel but I like trying out different things at my own risk. That’s how people grow.

My father took a hands-off approach in parenting. I see him as a friend more than a father.

My parents never pressure me with high expectations – their sucess has already inspired me with high self-expectations.

Exorcise your own demons or they will possess you.

And:

My father is not a player. A player fools around – my father knows exactly what he wants.

I still believe in romance. I will have my own family and a dog for sure.

She also writes:

Knowing that lessons are only obvious in retrospect, my mom chose to beat me up instead of reasoning with me. But I still think sometimes she just took it out on me.

The column is really just a jumble of shoddily organized thoughts — bylined Jan Leung, so maybe it was ghostwritten — but in retrospect, it almost all makes sense. I do wonder, however –

It is seldom the external environment that stirs up strong emotions – it is usually one’s inner demons or inner weaknesses that cause turmoil.

– whether her “friend” father offering a bounty for her hand in marriage stirs up any “strong emotions.” The rebel in her probably says yes.

UPDATE, 9/27, 10:15 am: Gigi Chao tells SCMP about the bounty:

Speaking in a light-hearted tone, Chao told the Post: “He [her father] has an interesting interpretation of me.”

…Asked if her father was cross about her alleged same-sex marriage because of his pronounced heterosexuality – having reputedly had 10,000 girlfriends – Gigi replied: “He loves the attention.”

As to whether she has indeed been “wed”, the 33-year-old said she would neither confirm nor deny the rumours. The same goes for her sexual orientation: “I’m not afraid to admit anything. But I do want to respect my parents,” she said.

(H/T Alicia)